Jerry Tretiak

CJNU S.A.M. Automated Programming Specialist

I was born in 1946 in a small town in Saskatchewan and raised on the farm. My mother and father were into country music, but my father's youngest sister was a bobby-soxer. She listened to Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin as well as the big bands. She brought her records over and played them on our record player. I guess this was where I got my indoctrination into music.

When I was nine, I got my first guitar. It had only five strings and I didn't know how to tune it, but that didn't stop me. I eventually learned how to tune it and I have never looked back.

My father, noticing that I had an interest in music bought me a mandolin, a banjo and an accordion and I learned to play them all, but my first love was the guitar. My fate was sealed when in high school in 1963, I was asked to join the school band as a guitar player. When the British invasion hit, the band started playing rock and Roll and gave up all the polkas, waltzes etc. At this time I discovered I was a pretty good singer as well as a front man and MC.

After high school, the band decided to pursue a career in music and stayed together touring extensively for CKCK radio in Regina performing with entertainers like Bobby Curtola, Buddy Knox and Barry Allen until 1969 when the band finally broke up.

In 1974, while living in Swan River, a group of us got together and formed a vocal/dance band and worked together until 1982.

I have always had an interest in radio broadcasting, and tried out for CJGX Radio in Yorkton, got the job, but never accepted as I didn't care to work the midnight shift. I never actually worked for a radio station until I opened my own station in Pinawa. I started broadcasting on low power (less than one watt), then applied for a license. I was granted a license to broadcast at 50 watts as a community station, having to shut down every 28 days. It was at this time that I met Roy Maguire and Owen Clark. I came into Winnipeg and was interviewed on CJNU and met a lot of the crew.

When my radio station in Pinawa shut down due to circumstances beyond my control, I moved back to Winnipeg. It was then that I found out CJNU was planning to change the broadcast software they were using and thought about using the S.A.M (Spacial Audio Music) Broadcaster that I had used for a number of years. I volunteered for the job and have been doing it since. I currently program all the evening programming as well record the occasional spot, promo and public service announcement.

Recently retired, I spend my time doing programming for CJNU, programming my own Internet radio station, playing in a classic rock band, an oldies rock band and an Irish/Celtic/Traditional music pub band, as well as recording and producing music for myself.

Life does not slow down after retirement.